Things to know before buying the Nokia 5

Everything that you need to know before you go ahead and purchase the Nokia 5

Highlights

Nokia to start pre-bookings for the Nokia 5 from July 7

Nokia 5 to use Google’s stock Android OS

Nokia after a long time has returned to its roots and has started making good quality smartphones with one of the best available operating systems. Nokia’s choice to make smartphones running Google’s Android operating system has been received very well globally. However, the company’s choice to ship smartphones with stock Android is what seems to be the most exciting for fans and tech enthusiasts alike.

However, while it is easy to get swayed by Nostalgia and brand names, let us take a look at what exactly the Nokia 5 may have to offer, where it sits in the market and how it measures up to the competition in terms of value for money.

Smartphones with similar specifications to the Nokia 5The Nokia 5 though being a good phone does not have much to offer in terms of specifications. You can find much cheaper smartphones like the Xiaomi Redmi 4 at Rs. 6,999, Yu Yureka Black at Rs. 8,999, and the Lenovo K6 Power at Rs. 9,999, offering similar or better specifications.

The Redmi 4 offers the Snapdragon 435 SoC whereas in the Nokia 5 you will get a Snapdragon 430 SoC. The Yu Yureka Black and the Lenovo K6 Power come with much more RAM and Internal Storage at a lower price point. The Nokia 5 offers 2GB RAM and 16GB Internal Storage, the Yu Yureka Black offers 4GB of RAM, 32GB of Internal Storage, and the K6 Power offers 3GB of RAM and 32GB of Internal Storage. All smartphones, however, offer a microSD card slot for expansion.

Smartphones at similar price pointsNokia will start pre-bookings for the Nokia 5 from July 7 and it will be priced at Rs. 12,899. This opens the smartphone to a lot of competition at similar price points like the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 and the Moto G5. Both of these smartphones come with good specifications and are extremely popular.

Xiaomi is offering the Redmi Note 4, 4GB RAM and 64GB Internal Storage variant for Rs. 12,999. This will be the biggest competitor to the Nokia 5, as it is offering much better specifications for a similar price. Though you might not be able to get the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 easily as they are sold through flash sales, and tend to sell out like hot cakes. On the other hand, the Moto G5 is available via normal sales online and is now also available in the offline market. The Moto G5 is currently priced at Rs. 11,999 for the 3GB RAM and 16GB Internal Storage variant.

What is being expected from NokiaNokia has been resurrected by HMD Global and has chosen to use Google’s Android Operating System in its native state, that is, stock Android. Nokia has promised to provide updates and security patches as soon as they become available, which should be easy given that Nokia 5 will run stock Android. It is also being expected, based on our hands-on with the Nokia 5 that users will get premium build quality. We expect people will put the phone through varying kinds of torture tests once the device is out in the market.

Should you buy the Nokia 5 now or waitPre-bookings for the Nokia 5 open on July 7 and if you absolutely must get your hands on the phone at launch, we say go ahead and make your booking. We didn’t find much wrong with the device in our hands-on experience and walked away generally pleased. However, it is important to note that without a full review of the phone, we cannot give a definitive judgement on the smartphone. As such, if you are a cautious buyer and are willing to wait, we would recommend that you hold off on the purchase for now. Waiting for the initial reviews of the phone would be a good idea as we’d be able to compare every aspect of the Nokia 5 with its competitors, concluding just how much value for money the smartphone has to offer.

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